Resplendent Change

The past few days have dispelled any notion I may have held last week that winter had wrapped its arms around Central Europe for good.  Crisp autumnal air matched with warm sunlight, bright foliage, and nature's final sigh before the barrenness of winter to come is like, as Dickens once described, "listening to music in perfect rapture."  There's a very tangible excitement, of the change of season, of a change of mind, of a change of focus.  The prospect of change carries one away into his dreams, into a state of freshness and renewed energy - it's my favorite time of year, and with this characteristic fall weather comes a flood of emotions and memories, reminding me of just how incredible life has been and continues to promise to be.

Sweaters and plaid shirts, the scent of a wood-burning fireplace, the crunch of leaves beneath my feet, hot chocolate, apple picking with the family, pumpkin patches and earthy colors, seeing my breath in the morning air, brilliant stars at night, school in full swing, concert season, that difference in temperature between shadow and sunlight, growing hair just a bit longer, wool socks, and the way people tend to walk ever so slightly quicker, marking the beginning of the busy seasons a head - autumn.

Thursday evening, I celebrated my 23rd birthday.  It is the first birthday I haven't been able to celebrate with my family, but in return, I had the distinct pleasure which I will probably never experience again, enjoying dinner with a dozen friends, all of them pretty girls.  :-D  We ate in a 400 year old Austria-cuisine restaurant on the bank of the Salzach.  Naturally, I had Wiener Schnitzel, but I also tried this drink called Sturm, which is fermented grape juice on its ways to becoming wine.  It's sweet, but not cloyingly so, and the alcohol is hardly detectable, which is dangerous!  It's only sold a few weeks during the year, and is particular to this area of the continent.  After dinner, a handful of us walked along the river to meet another friend who couldn't make it to dinner for drinks, which was also really fun.  I have to say, one of the biggest worries I had before embarking on this European adventure was being lonesome, and the group of girls I've met here have helped in a few short weeks to place that fear furthest from my mind.  They're an exciting, dynamic, friendly, sincere, and lovely bunch, and having become friends with them has been a saving grace, in many respects.  Needless to say, that night I was on Cloud Nine.

Friday was hiking day.  The Gaisberg, the tallest mountain within the city limits, is an old friend.  It was a fairly warm day, and not having brought shorts with me to Europe, Lederhosen it was!  Five of us challenged it, and, after just over 2 hours, it was conquered, with a much needed refreshment break at the summit!  Sweat and muscle fatigue were worth it for the stunning views, the camaraderie, and the satisfaction of having climbed a mountain.  In the evening, a friend and I went to a concert in the Festspielhaus, a concert hall built into the side of the Mönchsberg and home of the famous Salzburg Festival.  For 12EUR, we had 4th row seats, dead center - not bad, eh?  Ivan Fischer conducted his Budapest Festival Orchestra, one of my favorites, in fun music by Dvorak, Brahms, and von Dohnanyi.  Brilliant performance.  Walking home after the concert, it seemed like the whole of Salzburg had gone out to the theater, the opera, or a concert that evening.  The cobblestone streets were filled with meandering people window shopping, sipping hot chocolate, or, just as I was, taking it all in.  Salzburg is certainly one of the great Kulturstadt's in the world.  There are few cities that I can think of, where the previous evening's opera production can make the front page of the newspaper, and be the source for a week's worth of conversation and debate.  I'm right at home!

On Saturday, we had an expedition to the top of the Kehlstein, a picturesque mountain just across the border above the town of Berchtesgaden in a region called the Obersalzberg.  Our destination: the Eagle's Nest.  The last time I visited was 8 May 2011, which, coincidentally, was the anniversary of V-E Day, and I had the honor of being surrounded by veterans of E Company, 506st PIR, 101st Airborne Div., who actually captured the Eagle's Nest back in '45 - incredible!  This time, however, was so laid back - it was perfect.  It was one of the warmest days we've seen thus far, the clear skies gave views of the surrounding Alps and countryside for as far as the eye could see, and the foliage was radiantly colorful.  Al fresco lunch among friends under the sun on top of the mountain with views to kill for.  The Nazis may have been one of the most brutal regimes in recent memory, but whoa, can they pick a vacation spot!  Throughout the war years, the Obersalzberg was reserved exclusively for the Nazi elite, who had palatial Alpine homes constructed into the mountainside.  It is so incredibly beautiful there - gave me goosebumps again, just being there.  After we finished up top, we took a mini-tour through Berchtesgaden's quaint Altstadt, taking in some of its small-town charm, and we met a 2 month old Jack Russell, who was maybe 8 inches long.  It had to hop from cobblestone to cobblestone - adorable.  It was a long day, though, and I think we all slept a bit on our return bus ride.

Today was a quiet Sunday spent in town.  After Mass, I met up with a few friends and explored the Festung Hohensalzburg, a mountain-top fortress siting above Salzburg on the Mönchsberg.  Again, the views were beautiful, and we learned quite a bit of Salzburg history along the way.  Finished off the adventure with a Melange and Esterhazytorte at the famous Café Tomaselli, sitting on a balcony, overlooking the bustling square below.

Only 3 days of teaching this week, but still presenting my introduction to what seems like an endless schedule of "first" classes.  I never thought of my life as entertaining enough to spend a lesson on it, but now, after 26 of the same lesson about myself, I think I'd rather watch paint dry than continue this for four...more...weeks. Truly, this school needs another teaching assistant for my position to be an effective learning tool for the students.  But, I'm confident it'll all work out in the end.  I am having a lot of fun being in the classroom, though.  It's not only fun, but rewarding work, even if I do so only on a limited basis.  I was also told last week that I should prepare a 20 minute presentation to do in front of the non-English teacher faculty, who will be required to teach English come next term.  The presentation is supposed to be me explaining to the teachers what the students expect from them as English teachers - how I'm supposed to know what these students (most of whom I've not yet met) want is beyond me, but you've gotta roll with 'em, right?  Another adventure, another lesson to be learned.